Reel supporting units for stranding cabler



Nov. 1, 1960 C. H. CROSBY EAL REEL SUPPORTING UNITS FOR STRANDING CABLERFiled March 9, 1959 HT GR N/54 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 CIH ER USEY Lu THIS/ 5F7. L. P/ZZ QRLL/HH HERE Nov. 1, 1960 c. H. CROSBY ETAL 2,958,173

REEL SUPPORTING UNITS FOR STRANDING CABLER Filed March 9, 1959 4Sheets-Sheet 2 [AA/ENTER;

CH C'FFUE'E Y LLl. T H/CKE' FZL. /ZZ/ RRLUFHLEERE' Nov. 1, 1960 c. H.CROSBY EI'AL 2,958,178

REEL SUPPORTING UNITS FOR STRANDING CABLER Filed March 9, 1959 4Sheets-Sheet 3 5% 2%5? Lu TH/C'KE H L. P/Z Z QR LL/FYHLEEFE HT 'T'URNE1960 c. H. CROSBY EI'AL 2,958,173

REEL SUPPORTING UNITS FOR STRANDING CABLER Filed March 9, 1959 4SheetsSheat ET TUQNEL/ REEL SUPPORTING UNITS FOR STRANDING CABLERCharles H. Crosby, Cranford, William T. Hicks, Glen Rock, Albert L.Pizzi, Union, and Roger R. Wahlberg, Bloomfield, N1, assignors toWestern Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation ofNew York Filed Mar. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 798,175

8 Claims. (Cl. 57-1275) This invention relates to supply reel standsparticularly to the mountings for the reels of such stands for strandingand cabling apparatus.

In cable forming apparatus, particularly for use in the telephoneindustry where cables of various sizes are required, it is advantageousto equip such apparatus with means for supporting the maximum number ofsupply reels, a desired number of groups of which may be used dependingupon the number of strands to be embodied in each cable. When the supplyreels are to be mounted in supporting units which require individualattention for operation thereof to bring each reel into rotatingposition, considerable time is used in conditioning the apparatus foroperation.

An object of the present invention is a plurality of supply reel standswith groups of mounting units which may be loaded and unloaded rapidlyand efficiently.

In accordance with the object the invention comprises supply reel standsfor stranding apparatus having framelike stands, a plurality ofspaced-like mounting units disposed therein, each mounting unit having adrivable cone center and a piston movable cone center. Each piston isprovided with a cylinder and means is provided to direct a fluid underpressure to the cylinders to cause them to move their cone centerssimultaneously to mount the reels in the units.

More specifically, the units are divided into groups, each group beingunder the control of a solenoid operable valve and the valves beingunder the control of individual and a main switch, so that the groups ofunits may be operated individually or if desired through the actuationof the main switch to operate all of the units in all of the groupssimultaneously.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdetailed description when considerediin conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a plurality of frames,each frame housing four groups of the mounting units and their controlmeans;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of one of the units, thisview being taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a schematic illustration of four of the groups of units andtheir control means mounted in each frame; and

Fig. 4 is a schematic wiring diagram illustrating the control valves andtheir switch control circuits for numerous groups of units.

All of the units are identical in structure to that shown in Fig. 2.This unit includes a fixed position cone center 10 mounted on a shaft 11of a drive motor 12. Suitable means such as an arm 14 and a springpressed pin 15 receivable in an aperture 16 or" the adjacent head 17 ofa supply reel 18 connects the supply reel with the drive means of themotor 12. The reels for the various units are moved into positions bysuitable supports 19 and are raised from the supports when mounted ontheir cone centers. A movable cone center 22, supported for I- tation inbearings 23 in a tubular portion 24 of a piston 25, is movable with thepiston from its open solid line position to the dotted line closedposition. During this movement, the cone center 22 enters the hub of itsrespective head of the reel 18- and cooperates with the cone center 10in raising the supply reel from its support 19 and holding it firmlyfree to rotate on an axis coincident with the motor shaft 11. The piston25 is normally urged outwardly to the left, Fig. 2, by a spring 26. Thepiston 25 rides in a cylinder 27 and has an annular sealing washer 28carried thereby. The cylinder 27 is closed at one end by a head 29 whichis centrally apertured f0 connection at 30 with an air line 31.

The units, identified by reference number 32 include the reel mountingand drive structures shown in Fig. 2 which are mounted respectively at33 and 34 at suitably spaced positions in frames 35, Fig. 1. Each groupof units 32, Figs. 1 and 3, has electropneumatic control means,indicated generally at 36, which is supplied with air under pressurefrom one of a plurality of air chambers 37. Each control means 36includes an air line 38 extending from its air chamber 37 through a handoperable valve 39, an air regulator 40, which filters and lubricates theair, and through a connection 41 to an electromagnetic valve 42 in onedirection and a pressure regulator 43 in another. A pressure gage 44mounted on the unit 40 indicates the air pressure in the line leading tothe valve 42. In the present instance the desirable pressure is 15pounds per square inch and the unit 43 is adjusted to control thispressure. The valve 42 is of a commercially known type supplied with airlines 46 and 47 at opposing ends thereof to cause movement of thepiston-like element (not shown) within the valve to a neutral positioneach time the valve is deenergized. A filter 48 is provided also for thevalve 42. A fluid line 50 and associate lines 51 connect the valve 42with all of the fluid lines 31 of the group of units under its control.An electromagnetic coil or pair of coils at each end of the valve 42 ofeach group when energized will cause the piston-like member of eachvalve to move, for example, in one direction to move the piston 25 (Fig.2) to the right to mount the supply reel in the unit or to move thepiston in the opposite direction to free the empty reel from the unit. I

The electrical control switches for these windings of theelectromagnetic valves 42 and their control circuits arev shown in Fig.4. The control circuits are responsive individually to switches 61, 62,63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69,

70, 71, and 72. When the switches61 to 72, inclusive, or,

any desired number of these switches are moved to close their topcontacts, the units 32 of their respective groups will be operatedsimultaneously, for example, to close the units on their supply reelsand mount their supply reels for rotation. In a similar manner, anygroup of units or plurality of groups of units may be operatedsimultaneously into open positions by moving their respective switchesinto engagement with their bottom contacts. A main switch serves tooperate all of the groups of units into closed position by closing itstop contact or move all of the units into open position by closing itsbottom contact. It is also possible to condition the apparatus foroperating selective numbers of the groups of units simultaneouslythrough operation of switch 75 by closing valves 39 of the groups ofunits not to be included for the forming of certain types of cables.

Operation After a study of Fig. 2 of the detailed structure and functionof each unit 32, it will be understood just what takes placesimultaneously during the operation of the electropneumatic controls.The cone center 10 and the drive means, including the motor 12 and thedriving arm 14 with its pin 15, are ready to drive each reel 18 whenPatented Nov. 1, 1960 moved into the mounted position shown in dottedlines in Fig. 2. This is accomplished by operation of the cylinder 25 byair under pressure entering the cylinder 27 through the air line 31.

The operator of the apparatus knowing the number of strands or pairs ofstrands to be embodied in each cable, selects for the first cable thenumber of groups of units to support the supply reels for thatparticular cable. In one instance, after the supply reels have beenmoved to positions adjacent their units 32, the switches of the group 61to 72 inclusive may be operated for the chosen groups of units andactuated to cause operation of their valves 42 to cause air under apredetermined pressure to be directed to all of the cylinders of thefirst chosen groups of units to operate the units into closed positionsimultaneously. While the first groups of units are loaded and in usefor stranding a cable of a given size, second groups of units may beunloaded of empty reels simultaneously and loaded simultaneously withfull reels for stranding a cable of another size. If all of the groupsof units are to be employed at one time, the main switch 75 is operatedto close its top contact to operate all of the units in all of thegroups simultaneously into closed position. net, the groups may be movedinto open positions by their individual switches or by the main switch75 closing its bottom contact. Also, if it should be desirable to employall but a small number of groups of units, the valves 39 for those unitsmay be closed to condition the main switch 75 to cause operation of allthe remaining or chosen groups simultaneously.

It is to be understood that the above described arrangements are simplyillustrative of the application of the principles of the invention.Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled inthe art which will embody the principles of the invention and fallwithin the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. Supply reel stands for stranding apparatus comprising frame-likestands, a plurality of groups of supply reel mounting units disposed inthe stands, each unit having a fixed position drivable cone center toreceive its end of a supply reel, each having an axially movable conecenter, a piston therefor, means normally urging the piston to move itscone center away from its reel, a cylinder for each piston, and means todirect a fluid under pressure to the cylinders to cause them to movetheir cone centers simultaneously to move their reels into engagementwith their fixed position cone centers and hold them in supportingpositions.

2. Supply reel stands for stranding apparatus according to claim 1 inwhich means are selectively actuable In the same man-' operable.

3. Supply reel stands for stranding apparatus according to claim 2 inwhich a valve for each group of units is actuable to operate all theunits in its group simultaneously.

4. Supply reel stands for stranding apparatus according to claim 3 inwhich separate switches are actuable to selectively operate the valvesof each group of units.

5. Supply reel stands for stranding apparatus according to claim 4 inwhich a switch is actuable to operate any number of the valvessimultaneously to cause operation of their groups of unitssimultaneously.

6. In a supply reel stand for stranding apparatus, a unit for one of thesupply reels having a driving portion and a mounting portion, thedriving portion having a motor driven cone center to receive one end ofa hub of a supply reel, the mounting portion having an axially movablecone center aligned axially with the driven cone center, a rotatablespindle, means to mount the movable cone center fixedly on one end ofthe spindle, a hollow piston open at one end, bearings disposed in thehollow piston to rotatably support the spindle in the piston, with thecone supporting end of the spindle extending through the open end of thepiston, and to hold it against axial movement relative to the piston,means normally urging the piston away from the driven cone center, acylinder for the piston, and actuable means to cause fluid underpressure to enter the cylinder to move the piston and spindle to causeclosing of the unit and mounting of the supply reel between the conecenters.

7. In a supply reel stand for stranding apparatus according to claim 6in which the actuable means includes an electromagnetic valve operablein reverse directions respectively causing closing and opening of theunit, and means operable to selectively energize the valve.

8. Supply reel stands for stranding apparatus according to claim 4 inwhich certain of the switches are operated at spaced intervals to loadcertain groups of units with supply reels and, while stranding with saidgroup of supply reels, unload other groups of units of empty reels andload them with full supply reels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSStutz-Benz Jan. 12, 1932 Merwin et al. Nov. 23, 1948

